So there I am talking with my child, trying to help him understand the gravity of the problem that he just created. Yes, he is in trouble; but, I am trying to talk things through hoping to help him make better choices next time. And then, boom!! Things just explode. The anger and rage were unbelievable. And, the negative reactions were, undeserved at the least. A perfect time to send someone for a bit of time to re-collect themselves.

Oh, did I forget to mention? The explosion was mine! I got so upset over something that really was not that big of a deal. Yes, the point was important and my child was not being respectful. Should I have gotten that mad that quickly? Maybe…Probably not. But, at that point, I couldn’t back down…could I? I didn’t want my child to think that I was wishy-washy, that he could get away with something, that he could change my mind if he just kept at things long enough, or…gulp…that I was out of line. But, then again, the example that I had just set was exactly the sort of behavior that I did not want any of my children repeating.